In April 2022, a U.S. military aircraft operating over Gulf of Oman recorded an unidentified object its crew could not explain.
The encounter is documented in an official AFSOC mission report, declassified and released through AARO — the Pentagon's UAP office.
The report confirms the crew on 8 september 2021, an ac-130 gunship observed approximately 25 instances of uaps during live fire training in the gulf of oman. the uaps were cold orbs flying at lower altitudes, speeds between 250-1300 mph, in different formations, and maneuvering aggressively. they appeared to react to the aircraft firing its main cannon.. But the specifics — position, sensors, identities — are withheld under national-security and privacy exemptions.
Below is the document itself, reconstructed with the redactions preserved, followed by the full narration transcript and the approximate location of the encounter.
The Document
SECRET//NOFORN8 Sep 2021
Intelligence Information Report — AC-130 Gunship UAP Observations, Gulf of Oman (8 Sep 2021)
IIR DOI: 2021-09-08Z
Requirement Number: NTRI200AJ002421
Source context (S//NF): Source had direct access to the reported information via the conduct of official duties. Source was aware information would be provided to the US government.
Message — Initial Observation
On 8 September 2021 a United States Special Operations Forces (USSOF) AC-130 Gunship was conducting live fire training [in] the Gulf of Oman in the vicinity of (IVO) //MGRS: 40REN68 ████████1.4a 13 ████████1.4a / during period of darkness. The AC-130 first observed Unidentified Aerial Phenomenon (UAPs) when the aircraft dropped a water-activated flare to use as a mock target. The AC-130 entered an orbit around the flare and the Combat Systems Officer (CSO) conducted collateral scans with the aircraft's Electro Optical/Infrared (EO/IR) sensor IVO the flare. When the CSO slewed the sensor in IR mode back to the flare they observed two approximately four-foot diameter cold orbs between 0 to 20 feet above the surface of the water stationary over the flare for approximately 15 seconds. After those 15 seconds passed, the CSO pulled the trigger firing the aircraft's 105mm cannon. Immediately upon pulling the trigger, during the slight delay between trigger pull and the cannon's recoil, the CSO observed the pair of UAPs rapidly fly away from the flare and out of the sensor feed without changing altitude.
Subsequent Observations
The AC-130 crew observed approximately 25 instances of UAPs viewed in IR as cold orbs in both white-is-hot and black-is-hot during the sortie. Two UAPs were observed flying in a loose but coordinated formation increasing and decreasing altitude like a wave while maneuvering around, over, and under each other in a manner similar to how dolphins playfully swim in a pod. (SOURCE COMMENT: They [The UAPs] knew they were flying together). UAPs were also separately observed flying in a formation of three and separately observed flying erratically and maneuvering aggressively. The attached videos depict a smoothly slewing EO/IR sensor or a stationary EO/IR sensor with multiple UAPs darting around the sensor feed. The AC-130's crew attempted to save entirety of the EO/IR footage of the UAP observations but the aircraft's Digital Video Recorder (DVR) inexplicably failed and the video data became corrupted.
Estimated Speed
The CSO calculated the UAP's approximate speeds using the aircraft's TACTOOL and clocked their maximum observed maneuvering speed at 1300 miles per hour (MPH) and the UAPs minimum observed maneuvering speed at 250 MPH. No means of propulsion were observed.
Comment
This IIR was coordinated with USDAO Muscat and SOCCENT J2X without comment. Source A is available for recontact about information in this report. Geographic coordinates were derived from AC-130 sensor feed GPS data. Requests concerning foreign disclosure and release of the information contained in this report should be sent to the AFSOC FDO at ██████.
Declassified by MG Richard A. Harrison, USCENTCOM Chief of Staff, on 20 March 2026 — Approved for Release to AARO (USCENTCOM MDR 26-0049 to 26-0061). Redactions preserved. · U.S. Department of War — PURSUE UAP release (DOW-UAP-D101; IIR requirement NTRI200AJ002421)
The Reconstruction
UFO Data reconstruction — The AC-130 crew logged approximately 25 unidentified orbs maneuvering over the Gulf of Oman. Not actual footage; drawn from the case file.
Where It Happened
Full Transcript
25 unidentified objects. A gunship's main cannon. And they seemed to react.
In September 2021, over the Gulf of Oman, an AC-130 crew counted roughly two dozen cold orbs, flying low and fast—up to 1300 miles per hour—shifting formations, maneuvering aggressively.
The declassified AFSOC report is on screen now, but dozens of details are hidden under national security and privacy redactions—including the operation's name.
What were those orbs? Why did they respond to the cannon fire? The report doesn't say—and the redactions keep it that way.
The Pentagon's official UAP office released this file. What do you think they saw? Tell me in the comments. Search case D-101 at ufodata.org to read the full document. Subscribe to UFO Data.
